


like a spell

by chenlefuls



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Not exactly angst, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, but its jenle, help idk anymore, jenle, jenle brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 14:02:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenlefuls/pseuds/chenlefuls
Summary: things weren't going well for chenle and jeno is there. always.





	like a spell

**Author's Note:**

> prompt #JZ017
> 
> jeno cuddling someone

in all honesty, chenle wanted the day to end already. right now, right in this moment where all he could feel was exhaustion seeping through each vein in his body, eating up his mind. his classes ended late for him today. running late, he could only let his glance go away along with the evening bus he usually rides back home. his tired self didn't have enough energy to chase or shout for the bus. not like the driver's gonna hear him anyway.

he waited an hour for the next bus to come. and only then, he is on his way back to his dorm.

maybe it was the tiredness. or the mild headache slowly attacking. both or neither was making his fists clenched, weak but holding back his immense annoyed feelings for sure. especially when he stood by the front door of his dorm that late evening.

he could hear little screams accompanied with the background music of a video game where the player loses and incoherent 'boos' were heard . and then a set of laughter so joyous yet chenle’s mind could not help but to feel the opposite. chenle found himself investing in his thoughts for a few minutes in front of his shared dorm.

mark and hyuck is probably here. the boy thought. it's rare to hear loud screeches from the dorm since everyone is dead tired everyday but whenever mark and hyuck come to visit, it's no longer a quiet dorm. a circus, doyoung once said.

chenle won't deny. he loves when that happens. whenever the duo come over from the 127 dorm, it feels like it’s the old dream all back together. but right now, with the pent up stress he has, maybe he wasn't exactly up for this.

_they'll probably invite me to play. but i'm so tired. ugh fuck those korean homework. this is what you get for delaying things you, dumbass. the straining dance practice nowadays has been eating me up a lot too, fuck. maybe i should take a breather and go for a walk first- _

his train of thoughts halted. his eyes widened before looking up immediately. he realized he only has the brown wooden door staring at him back but that did not stop him from clenching his fist a little tighter.

_jisung! why did you broke that vase? it's chenle’s- _

chenle shut his eyes in exasperation.

jesus christ what mess has they created in there for fuck's sake

merely holding his anger anymore, he twisted the doorknob open, startling everyone inside.

"oh, chenle”.

"yes, me".

maybe it was the gloomy aura surrounding chenle. or the way jaemin saw chenle’s clenched fists around the straps of his bag. or the small smile chenle put on that hyuck found eerily scary. maybe all of those, that made everyone noticed, jisung had absolutely made a grave mistake and chenle is not going to put up with any of it.

"chenle hyung,”

_that’s a first,_ chenle noted in his mind. jisung really only uses formalities when the younger is seeking for something. in this case, probably not get beaten by a tired chenle.

“you see. i'm very sorry for this. my hands were wet after washing the dishes that jeno didn't do and-"

jisung stopped talking when he caught chenle looking at him straight in the eyes.

"save it. i'm too tired to mourn over a significantly important vase that was given by my mom which means it holds a sentimental value for me,” sarcasm dripped in chenle's dead tired voice.

he was angered and annoyed. he knew he shouldn't react this way, but his favourite vase that his mom gifted him when he first moved into the dorm was broken. the living room looked like a ship wreck considering the storm everyone had made. his headache was getting massive. his eyes fell on the little pieces from the broken vase, mind hazy and sight almost blurry. a striking feeling of longing bloomed in his chest. i miss home. i'm so tired here. i miss home. oh, how chenle wanted to cry so bad right now. he felt like everything is just turning wrong. he's so drained, so tired, and overwhelmingly missing his family but there's nothing he can do. except to suck it up. and that alone only made him wanting to sob more.

chenle knew shouting at them won't make anything better so he might just leave them to handle the shits they made.

"i'm so sorry. i'm just beyond exhausted right now. can you guys tone it down while i sleep later?,” guilt resonated in his voice. he didn't mean to snap at his members. he hoped they won't take it to heart.

"it's okay. go inside and rest. i'll take care of everything," chenle didn't know when the hell jeno got behind him or why jeno's voice sounded so firm and caring in his ears. all he knew was jeno was pushing him into his room before the room was shut. and few seconds later, jeno's loud voice were heard demanding the boys to help him. chenle stood there motionless for a while. his mind jumping around crazier than before but he decided to cut it out, leaving the thinking for some time later.

for the first time in that day, chenle heaved a relieved sigh, though heart still full of untold hidden feelings.

the clock read 8:00 pm when chenle stepped out of the shower, his hair drenched wet from the long calming shower he took. he could no longer hear any loud screams or set of laughters from outside so chenle took that as a sign that the dorm was at peace now.

after dressing comfortably in his loose sweatshirt and jogger pants, chenle climbed onto his bed immediately. he didn't bother catching dinner as he's not even that hungry and too lazy to cook. besides tonight is jeno's turn to cook for the dorm. with jeno’s non-existent cooking skills, the most he'll get to eat was probably the instant ramen they always have.

with the soft duvet tucked under his chin and his phone next to him, chenle waited for drowsiness to knock him out. it wasn't until chenle almost fell to dream land when he heard the door being opened.

“lele? are you awake?," jeno's usual quiet voice was toned down to a whisper. something delirious for a sleepy chenle. a lullaby, his sober self would say.

chenle hummed as a sign and not too long after that, the door clicked close and he felt a dip on the other side of the bed. he still has his eyes closed when jeno gently pull him into his embrace.

the idea of invading one’s personal space is no longer a foul in the dorm. it has always been like that ever since everyone grew close to each other and bonded like a family they are. to them, it's the comfort that one another provides that matters the most. like that one time when renjun was sick and he was feeling so out of reach due to missing his mainland, jaemin came to rescue and comforted the older gently. his warmth and love helped renjun feel at ease. the same mechanic applies to each member in dream. they are just built like that; warm and full of love to share.

so, when jeno came to spoon little chenle in his arms, the younger felt like crying. chenle felt warm. he felt at peace in jeno's arms. sighing contently, he snuggled a little into the crook of jeno's neck, his back pressing closer than it could be to jeno.

"bad day?," jeno softly muttered. like a lullaby, chenle's mind whispered, as jeno carded his hand through the younger's soft bright locks. he hummed again with a little frown on his face. "wanna tell me about it? maybe it would help you forget," again, jeno's low voice almost lulled him to sleep.

chenle didn't know when and how. when did he start being comfortable with jeno or how jeno always understands him like the back of his own palm. the boy remembered, his first impression of jeno was the toughest. chenle was scared of the older when they first met. jeno's cold icy eyes made little chenle grew afraid of him, so chenle has always made it a routine to avoid jeno back during early days of their debut era. chenle, back then, felt like he should not over cross his path with jeno. yet, to the young little jeno, he felt a surging feeling of an older brother when he first landed his eyes on chenle. he however did not fail to notice the younger's wide shaky eyes every time jeno was around.

when a noisy hyuck told him playfully that chenle was scared of him, disappointment washed over jeno. he questioned himself what did he ever do to chenle. for a while, he blamed chenle for that because “he was the one who never made a move to approach me!” as jeno liked to claim. the silent unspoken dispute between him and chenle were never really brought up. the rest of dream didn’t notice much and even if they did, they expected jeno to be the bigger one and solve it with the younger himself. but later when he listened to renjun’s words during one of renjun’s breakdown where jaemin and him were there to help the elder, jeno came to understand why.

“guys,” renjun’s soft voice called for his two best friends who were squishing him from each sides. jeno and jaemin muttered a soft ‘yea’ and ‘hm’ signaling they’re listening. “thank you,” the oldest whispered, his hands clenching a little tighter in jeno and jaemin’s hold. he didn’t let the two question why as he continued speaking.

“when i first came here, it was so hard. south korea is such a foreign place for me. the idea of starting a new life here was so scary to me. at that time, i haven’t met winwin hyung yet. the first time we all met, along with chenle, was nerve-wrecking to us. chenle couldn’t stop rambling, a habit of him i came to learn when he’s nervous. we were scared you guys wouldn’t accept us,” jeno gave renjun a squish from the side, looking at him with eyes that delivered “no way, injun”.

“but then, after getting to know you guys, it became so much better,” renjun smiled. “you guys helped me a lot, even up till now. I know it took a long time for me to finally open up with you guys comfortably but thanks to you two and hyuck, I feel at home around you guys. I guess jaemin’s consistent attempt at pestering me made me crack my own shell,” he let out a soft laugh, the other two joining.

“I’m worried for chenle though,” that particular sentence caught jeno’s attention more than ever.

“he, from what I see, still has a hard time around some of us. He was just like me, except he still has yet to open up and I’m scared if he will stay that way forever.”

“i'm so glad jisung is here. chenle adjusted to him well and i think chenle found his one friend here,” a soft smile adorned renjun's puffy face.

“but with the others,” renjun's voice trailed off.

“i get what you mean, injunnie. remember when hyuck tried to befriend him by playing the piano but chenle scurried away because he was scared? i know something is not right yet at that moment,” jaemin supplied, stifling a laughter at the incident.

donghyuck is known as the one with big mouth among the team. it was not a surprise when he attempted to crack chenle out of his shell one day. except it did not go well due to 1) the language barrier – that donghyuck actually tried to break by playing the piano to chenle and 2) chenle was too closed off and scared.

“he will come, jun. sooner or later. and we'll always be there to help him,” jaemin continued, squeezing renjun's hand.

jeno brushed the words off at first, that was until he thought about it thoroughly and connected the pieces.

“of course he avoids you, dumbass! he’s literally a person in a new environment. just like renjun, he is scared,” the thought never leave jeno’s head to the point of something snapping in him. “moreover he's just a little child. he must have been nervous to talk to us the older members,” it was from that point jeno realized he needs to align himself with chenle; make the little boy comfortable around him, just like at home, just like an older brother. ever since that, jeno started his advances to be closer to chenle. he promised himself he’ll be the brother figure to chenle, and that’s what he is going to do as long as they are together.

chenle sneaked his arms around jeno in an attempt to cuddle to him closer. jeno cooed silently at how clingy chenle turn into when he is tired (not like chenle isn't generally clingy already but tired and gloomy chenle is a whole koala demanding love and affection to which everyone finds it cute) before wrapping his free hand around the latter, the other still gently playing with chenle’s hair. with droopy eyes and drowsy voice signaling exhaustion reeking from him, chenle talked about his day; the pent up tension from his language classes, the straining dance practices that’s been pressuring him nowadays and the homesickness greatly overwhelming him. somewhere along the jumbled up words he was spouting out, little crystal tears made its way down chenle’s bare face. soft sniffles echoed in the quiet room.

“i’m sorry,” a raspy voice spoke as jeno widened his eyes in alert. he immediately looked at chenle, confused as to why the younger is suddenly apologizing. chenle's small body curled to jeno's side. “sorry I got too carried away just now at the living room. i was too tired and i just-,” chenle quieted down when jeno hugged him closer. the warmth jeno gave soothing him.

to chenle, jeno feels like a human made out of pillow. that's a weird analogy, chenle thought to himself once but he couldn't find other exact words to describe the older. jeno's anatomy is full of soft features and warm gestures. jeno gives the best hug and he’s built as soft as a pile of white fluffy clouds. another thing that chenle find amusing in jeno is that how different the older is on stage and off stage. the jeno who performs on stage is always full of charisma and passion but that doesn’t make off stage jeno any lesser. oh, chenle loves off stage cuddly soft jeno the most. he often think to himself that if what jeno shows on-cam is enough to make fans swoon over him, then what would happen if they know how jeno is so much more when off-camera. chenle just _know _everyone will love him.

“that was nothing,” jeno's voice resonated through chenle's ears. “nobody minded. we know there was something wrong when you stepped inside without a loud holler calling for mark hyung,” both of them let out low soft giggles, the crinkles forming in jeno’s eyes soothing the latter. a yawn escaped chenle’s mouth, his hands breaking free for a while from jeno’s iron yet gentle grip to rub his tired droopy eyes. jeno, again, cooed at the younger.

chenle looked like he's a feet away into dreamland. jeno looked at him and noticed the measly frown still on the younger. "hey. why is the ugly frown still there,” he spoke in pout, his lips jutted out excessively with playful cute voice, knowing well chenle would burst into laughter when he does that and just like what he wanted, the bright-haired boy broke into a fit of melodious laughter. it wasn’t too loud nor it was too quiet. it was just them enjoying the moment with chenle in jeno’s loving embrace and chenle basking the love jeno gave him.

“you should sleep,” a voice filled with fondness spoke. “we have a free day tomorrow so you can sleep in,” jeno softly pecked chenle on top of his head. he knows too well how the younger loves when he gets babied by the olders. jeno used to find it ridiculous. how can someone who is not the youngest in the group demands more than the real youngest one ever did? but of course, that was jeno in the past. the jeno who had a temper when chenle avoided him. the jeno who blamed chenle for not approaching him first.

he and everyone knows too well now how that jeno no longer exist. in fact, this jeno, the one right now who was holding chenle dearly in his arms, couldn’t be more happier to be the one who gets to treat chenle like a little boy. who chenle now see as a loving brother figure.

maybe it was because he was sleepy. or because of the soft peck. or because of the presence of jeno himself. chenle couldn't point his finger on which cause it was that worked like a spell when he fell into a deep slumber while being encased in jeno's soft loving arms. one thing he's sure of is, he's forever grateful that jeno is always there for him.

chenle didn’t fret when he woke up the next day at 9 in the morning considering he was literally a walking dead yesterday. him being the first to wake up or so he thought. when he fluttered his eyes open, he was partly grateful the blinds were closed so no sunlight was going to blind him. a warm feeling blossomed in him when he realized he's still in jeno's embrace. the morning was undeniably cold, chenle could tell as winter time is coming, but that didn’t bother him when the warmth from jeno gave him so much comfort.

right when he thought he woke up first, jeno's low hoarse voice, again, a lullaby, greeted him. "morning lele," the older has a lazy smile on him. jeno’s blonde locks were messy, strands of hair sticking up everywhere. he looked like a cartoon character in chenle’s eyes and at the thought of that, chenle let out a chuckle. "morning," chenle said back with a soft smile and warm voice. "feeling better?," jeno’s voice whispered, a comforting hand rubbing chenle’s side. the latter nodded, sparkles in his eyes and that was when jeno knew chenle was fine.

"good, sunshine. let's stay in bed for a while. i miss cuddling in with you," chenle gawked at him, eyes slightly wide. “no, we can’t!,” he softly slapped jeno’s arm to which the older playfully let out a playful ‘ow!’. “and why is that, little zhong?,” jeno quirked his brows. “hyung, it’s my turn to cook breakfast with jisung today and unlike you, i have a pretty decent skill at making waffles,” chenle stuck a tongue out at jeno.

jeno laughed out loud, wholefully tickled by chenle’s cute antics. it's not like he doesn't see this daily but to be greeted with such sight after a night of cuddling for comfort truly warms his heart. giddiness filled his heart to its brim. “well then, get your ass moving,” jeno snorted when chenle pulled a long face playfully.

“sungie, watch the eggs,”

“good morning jaemin hyung!,”

“haechan hyung please wash your face first your dried drool is all over your face!,”

chenle's loud shriek greeted jeno when he first stepped out of the room. he sported a smile, holding his laughter back, while looking at the shenanigans all dream members were pulling.

jaemin was drowsily walking to the couch on the living room. renjun, who probably has woken up way earlier than any of them, was munching on dry cereals while watching whatever the morning news was showing. donghyuck rushed to the toilet after letting out a loud whine at chenle embarrassing him. mark was at the dining table, his glasses perched on his nose as he worked on whatever he was working on in his laptop. jisung was flipping the eggs before turning off the gas and serving the eggs on a plate.

“breakfast is ready!,” a shout from chenle and that was all it took for mark to put his laptop away, jaemin and renjun heading to the table and hyuck coming out of the toilet face fresh and bright. together, the young teenagers indulged themselves in the simple yet delicious breakfast that the youngers made.

“i guess you're feeling better now,” a voice spoke as chenle raised his head. “yeah, i guess. i was just really stressed yesterday,” he let out a sheepish smile, voice laced with apology. “we know but that's okay. as long as you're good now. jeno helped you i assume,” mark smiled warmly. at those words, chenle put on a big smile. “of course! there's nothing jeno can't do,” everyone laughed at him before renjun snickered a “yeah, except making jokes,” that earned him a playful smack from jeno.

they finished their breakfast in no time and all that was left was for jaemin and renjun to wash the dirty dishes seeming that it was their turn to. jisung scurried away to his room as soon as he finished claiming he wanted to continue binge-watching haikyuu while mark and donghyuck were off to 127 dorm again as they have a schedule with them.

“do you wanna go out today?,” jeno looked up from his phone. chenle stood in front of him with a bright smile. “i figured i want to get some stuffs for school and everyone else is doing their work except you,” a sheepish smile was gifted towards jeno along with slight puppy eyes because chenle knew exactly what is jeno's weak point.

“i thought you might want to rest today?,” jeno lifted his brows. chenle was dead tired yesterday he thought the little might want to use the free time to rest or maybe ask for cuddles from jeno again.

“but it's boring,” chenle dragged the ‘o' in boring while pouting. “i want cuddles, yeah, but after we go out please,” full puppy eyes were out to attack and oh, how can jeno say no to that. half an hour later, the door to their dorm slammed shut as jeno and chenle rode the car driven by their manager to the downtown market.

when they stepped out of the slick black van, cold air hit their faces and sent shivers down to their spines. jeno with no haste grabbed chenle's hand and intertwined their fingers. “stay warm,” jeno smiled cheekily at the younger to which chenle smiled back with equal cheekiness.

“where do you wanna go first?,” their intertwined hands swayed amidst the air as they walked, their shoes producing noises from the crushed snow underneath them. “bookstore! i need to get some supplies and then the gift shop,” chenle replied and off they went to the store.

it was around three in the evening and they were at the small gift shop around the corner. chenle claimed that he wanted to find some gifts for his members and that includes jeno so he ushered jeno away from him as he explored the store alone. the older only shook his head before doing as the younger told so. jeno was walking at the knitted wears aisle, idly looking at the stuffs while thinking what should he get for chenle. he had pick a cute pair of oven mitts for jaemin, a new set of headphones for both donghyuck and jisung, a sketchbook with an aesthetically pleasing drawing of the stars as the cover for renjun and a simple mug for mark. all that was left to pick for is chenle.

it was not long before jeno's eyes landed on something hung to the wall. its warm colours attracted jeno for it was placed among a dozen of bright colours. jeno took the autumn-coloured beanie and analyzed it carefully with a soft smile. it's exactly chenle, he thought. upon pondering a little more, jeno decided that it was time to pay and immediately paid for all the items, asking the bored looking cashier to wrap the gifts for he didn’t want chenle to bug him to see what he bought.

jeno was done with payment when he realized chenle was taking too long to pick gifts. the younger usually is so simple and easy when it comes to presents. intrigued, jeno made his way to find the younger despite the younger's words earlier to not be by chenle's side while he's picking the gifts. jeno found chenle at the ceramic and glasses aisle. the younger was staring off into space at a small piece of ceramic on the shelf.

“chenle?,”

no answer. worried, jeno approached the younger and immediately pat chenle's shoulder, startling him from his daydream. “oh, hyung,” chenle muttered, still looking somewhat lost. “what's wrong?,” jeno uttered softly, realizing chenle's eyes drifted back to the piece of ceramic that jeno made out to be a small plate with intricate design made of ceramic. the design was familiar but jeno couldn’t remember where he had seen it until chenle opened his mouth.

“i miss my family,” sadness dripped in chenle's voice and things clicked in jeno's head. the ceramic design was similar to the vase that broke yesterday. slowly, jeno wrapped his hands around chenle. they shared a hug in the middle of the shop for a while. warm and comforting.

a sniffles or two later, chenle parted from jeno with an embarassed smile. “ah, sorry again hyung,” he rubbed the back of his neck while snorting. jeno let out a soft laugh before casually put his arms on chenle's shoulders, pulling him closer. “you know i don't mind chenle,” he smiled warmly. “i know you are strong. it's just a few weeks more before you can visit them okay? i'll be your family while we wait for that time,” the genuine smile jeno was putting on only made chenle want to cry louder but of course he didn't. instead, he gratefully thanked jeno, grabbed the piece of ceramic and made his way to the counter to pay for his stuffs. chenle didn’t voice it out loud but jeno knew the younger felt better now.

they were back in their van again, now heading back to the dorm when jeno received a text from jaemin. “they want to have a movie night. let's go buy some food and snacks,” jeno told the manager and only headed back to the dorm when they finished getting 9 takeaway servings of fried chicken.

when the manager dropped them off at the dorm, the living room was already set up to the settings of how a sleepover would look like. mark's laptop was connected to the tv and netflix’s homepage was on display. jeno dropped the food on the coffee table that was set aside before going into his room to change into a much more comfortable warm clothes. he emerged out of his room and went to the living room to see everyone including chenle were settled down already.

jeno carefully maneuvered his way to find the perfect spot to squish in. he was about to dive into the empty spot next to jisung when he noticed chenle making grabby hands at him. smiling, jeno settled in right beside the little. as soon as he made himself comfortable, chenle wrapped his arms around jeno and snuggled to the older. jeno reciprocated the move and warmly held chenle beside him. mark, who was the nearest to the laptop, hit the play button and the movie started playing.

halfway into the movie, jeno heard soft snores coming from his side. he craned his neck a bit and realized chenle fell alseep already. he gently smiled before giving the younger's head a soft peck. jeno looked up again to focus on the movie when he suddenly felt a nudge on his leg. looking around, he locked eyes with renjun who looked at him with a soft smile. renjun mouthed a silent ‘thank you' to jeno and that was enough to make jeno feel warm throughout his whole body. renjun was thanking him for taking care of chenle greatly and honestly, jeno wouldn’t even complain because chenle is his brother and he'd do anything to help the struggling little one. by the time the ending credits rolled out, everyone passed out already, softly snoring, engulfed in warmth from each other.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope this managed to satisfy the prompter and readers thank you for reading <33


End file.
